Sanitary installation

ABSTRACT

A sanitary installation ( 1 ) has a sanitary appliance and at least one sensor ( 12, 13, 14 ) for at least one operating-condition parameter of the sanitary appliance.  
     Furthermore, a regulating apparatus ( 10 ) is provided for setting at least one operating parameter. An indicating apparatus ( 3 ) belonging to the sanitary installation ( 1 ) cooperates with the regulating apparatus ( 10 ). The indicating apparatus ( 3 ) has a television screen ( 7 ) and also a control apparatus ( 8, 30 ) cooperating with the regulating apparatus ( 10 ). The result is a sanitary installation ( 1 ) which provides a high degree of comfort.

[0001] The invention relates to a sanitary installation having asanitary appliance, at least one sensor for at least oneoperating-condition parameter of the sanitary appliance, an indicatingapparatus for at least one operating-condition parameter of the sanitaryappliance and a regulating apparatus for setting at least one operatingparameter of the sanitary appliance, which regulating apparatuscooperates with at least one control apparatus belonging to the sanitaryappliance.

[0002] From the point of view of the market, sanitary installations ofthis kind are known, for example, in the form of shower devices in whichoperating-parameter values are displayed with the aid of LED numerals.As the sensor, these known sanitary installations have, for example, atemperature sensor for the mixed-water temperature. A mixed-watertemperature can be preselected via a mechanical or electronic regulatingsystem via a control element, for example a lever. The mixed-watertemperature is then indicated using the LED numerals.

[0003] Although, as regards sheer serviceability, known sanitaryinstallations of this kind already offer a great deal of comfort, thedemand for extra comfort functions, which are intended to impart aluxurious quality to the sanitary installations, is neverthelessincreasingly heard in the field of high-class sanitary installations.

[0004] The object of the present invention is therefore to furtherdevelop a sanitary installation of the initially mentioned kind in sucha way that it meets even exacting requirements as regards comfort.

[0005] This object is achieved, according to the invention, through thefact that the indicating apparatus has a screen which cooperates with atelevision set.

[0006] The integration, which is effected in this way, of a televisioninto the indicating apparatus represents a variant of the sanitarydevice, in terms of comfort, which utilises the possibilities of ascreen in an elegant manner. Under these circumstances, the controlapparatus can be configured in such a way that both the sanitaryappliance and the television reception can be controlled simultaneously.An indication of operating-condition parameters can be screened via thetelevision picture, if required, during television reception, as isknown practice, for example, in the case of video recorders. At the sametime, the screen may additionally facilitate indication, for examplethrough the fact that, when a number of operating-condition parametersare being indicated, the said screen is subdivided into a number ofareas for the various operating-condition parameters.

[0007] The control apparatus is preferably integrated into theindicating apparatus. Integration of this kind may take place, forexample, through the fact that control elements are installed in theframe of the indicating apparatus. Integration facilitates subsequentincorporation of the said components into an already existing sanitaryinstallation.

[0008] The control apparatus may be designed as a control panel. In thisconnection, a “control panel” is understood to mean a group of controlelements combined to form an integral unit. A control panel of this kindcan be protected against splashes of water in a simple manner.

[0009] The control panel may be a touch-screen. In this case, there isno need to seal off individual control elements against splashes ofwater, since it is sufficient for the touch screen as a whole to beprotected against the latter. Furthermore, a touch-screen in conjunctionwith a large-area screen represents a visually attractive variant of acontrol panel.

[0010] It is particularly favourable if the screen of the indicatingapparatus itself is constructed as a touch-screen.

[0011] The control apparatus preferably comprises a remote-controldevice. The operating condition of the sanitary appliance can beconveniently preset by means of a remote-control device before actualuse. Furthermore, it is possible to utilise, for example, the televisionfunction of the screen in a more flexible manner: If the screen isincorporated, for example, in the wall of a shower cabinet, it can alsobe viewed and controlled, for example from the bathtub, assuming thespatial configuration of the bathroom is suitable.

[0012] The control apparatus may cooperate with a memory forpredetermined values for the operating-condition parameters and/orsetting parameters for the television set. By means of a memory of thiskind, it is possible to store, for example, the preferred parameters forvarious users in such a way that they can be called up by the particularuser via the control apparatus without renewed inputting of theindividual parameters. In addition, it is possible to store, in such amemory, predetermined values for the running of operating programmes forthe sanitary apparatus, for example, in the case of a shower, a showerprogramme comprising a number of warm-water, cold-water and massagecycles. Programmes of this kind may be predetermined either at thefactory or else by the user via the control apparatus.

[0013] The signal connection between the sanitary appliance and theindicating apparatus may comprise a cableless signal path. Thisfacilitates the incorporation of the sanitary device, since no physicalconnection needs to be provided between the sanitary appliance and theindicating apparatus.

[0014] The sanitary appliance of the sanitary installation is preferablya shower apparatus which is integrated into a shower cabinet. Thisfacilitates retrofitting when renovating bathrooms, since the indicatingapparatus does not have to be incorporated in a plumbing wall. Theindicating apparatus can be integrated into the wall of a preassembledshower cabinet in a simple manner, for example in the form of a flatscreen.

[0015] An exemplified embodiment of the invention will be explained ingreater detail below with the aid of the drawings, in which:

[0016]FIG. 1 shows a shower installation according to the invention; and

[0017]FIG. 2 shows a block wiring diagram of the circuit arrangement ofthe shower installation from FIG. 1.

[0018] A shower installation which is provided, as a whole, with thereference symbol 1 in FIG. 1, comprises a shower appliance which is notvisible, a hand-held sprinkler 4 fastened to a sprinkler-holder 2 and atelevision screen apparatus 3. The shower appliance is an electronicallyregulated appliance, that is to say is not controlled manually but bythe transmission of electronic regulating pulses, as will be furtherdescribed below. The hand-held sprinkler 4 of the shower appliance ismounted adjustably in known manner on the wall 5 of a shower cabinet.The said wall is part of a shower cabinet which is partially representedin FIG. 1. In addition to the hand-held sprinkler 4 shown, other,fixedly installed lateral spray heads may also be provided in the showercabinet, as is known practice in the case of high-class shower cabinets.

[0019] The screen apparatus 3 is installed in another wall 6 of theshower cabinet in such a way that its surface that points towards theinterior of the shower cabinet forms a flat face which is flush with thesaid wall 6 of the shower cabinet. The walls 5 and 6 of the showercabinet may be walls of the building or parts of a prefabricated showercabinet which is to be installed in a bathroom afterwards.

[0020] The screen apparatus 3 comprises a television screen 7. Ashower-control panel 8 and an additional control panel 9 are disposedbelow the latter in such a way that they combine with the said screen 7to form the screen apparatus 3 as a structural unit.

[0021] The shower appliance described merely represents one example of asanitary appliance. The screen 7 can also cooperate, in the same way ashas been described in connection with the shower appliance, with othersanitary appliances, for example those of a bathtub, a whirlpool or evena washstand, the said screen 7 being incorporated into a plumbing wallat a point which is conveniently accessible to the user.

[0022] The interaction of the shower appliance with the screenarrangement 3 will now be described with the aid of the block wiringdiagram of the circuit arrangement in FIG. 2.

[0023] The shower installation 1 comprises a regulating apparatus 10which sets predetermined operating parameters, for example watertemperature, quantity of water or choice of mode of operation of thehand-held sprinkler 4 or additional sprinkler heads, by means ofcorresponding regulating pulses via a regulating line 11. To that end,the regulating line 11 connects the regulating apparatus 10 to theappliance belonging to the hand-held sprinkler 4 and, if applicable, theother sprinkler heads.

[0024] Current operating and environmental data from the showerinstallation 1 are passed on to the regulating apparatus 10 by means ofsensors 12, 13, 14 which are connected to the said regulating apparatus10 via signal lines 15, 16, 17. The sensor 12 is a temperature sensorwhich monitors the current mixed-water temperature, which is fed to thehandheld sprinkler 4. The sensor 13 is a flow sensor for the quantity ofwater fed to the said hand-held sprinkler 4. The sensor 14 measures thetemperature of the air surrounding the shower installation 1.

[0025] The quantities measured by the sensors 12 and 13 enter, as actualvalues, into the calculation of the regulating signals which are passedon to the appliance belonging to the hand-held sprinkler 4 by theregulating apparatus 10. This calculation is performed in a digitalprocessor 18 which is integrated into the regulating apparatus 10.

[0026] The desired values which are additionally necessary forcalculation purposes and which are to be set with the aid of theregulating apparatus 10, are fed to the latter, via a signal line 19, bya computer 25 belonging to the screen apparatus 3. The actual valuesmeasured by the sensors 12 to 14 are also passed on to the computer 25via the signal line 19.

[0027] Via a transmitting/receiving apparatus 22 at the screen, to whichapparatus it is connected via a signal line 24, the computer 25 is ableto receive other input signals from a remote-control device 30 via acableless signal path 23. The said computer 25 is connected, via asignal line 26, to the control panels 8, 9 and, via a data line 27, to arewritable digital memory 28. The computer 25 is connected to the screen7 via a regulating line 29.

[0028] The control system for the shower installation functions in thefollowing manner:

[0029] The user chooses the operating parameters he desires, i.e. watertemperature, quantity of water, choice of sprinkler heads and sprinklernozzles, via the shower operating panel 8 or the remote-control device30. These predetermined values are passed on to the computer 25 via thecableless signal path 23, the transmitting/receiving apparatus 22 at thescreen, and the signal line 24 if inputting is effected via theremote-control device 30, and are passed on to the said computer via thesignal line 19 if inputting is effected via the shower control panel 8.The said computer activates the screen 7 for the purpose of indicatingthe preselected operating parameters, so that the latter can be checkedby the user.

[0030] As an alternative to the inputting of individual operatingparameters, the user can also choose, via the remote control device 30or the shower control panel 8, a predetermined shower programme which isstored in the digital memory 28. The computer 25 calls up this showerprogramme from the digital memory 28.

[0031] The computer calculates, from the operating parameters chosen orfrom the shower programme, the necessary predetermined values for theregulating apparatus 10 and initiates the passing-on thereof to the saidregulating apparatus 10 via the signal line 19. With the aid of thepredetermined values passed on, and of the actual values transmitted bythe sensors 12 to 14, the digital processor 18 of the regulatingapparatus 10 calculates the regulating values which are transmitted tothe appliance belonging to the hand-held sprinkler 4 and any othersprinklers which may be present, so that the said sprinklers work in themanner preselected by the user.

[0032] In addition, the actual values measured by the sensors 12 to 14for the operating and environmental parameters are passed on, via thesignal lines 15 to 17, the regulating apparatus 10 and the signal line19, to the computer 25 which then converts them into regulating valuesfor representation on the screen 7.

[0033] Furthermore, the television functions of the screen 7 can also bedialled up via the remote-control device 30 or the extra control panel9. These functions include the selection of a television programme,which is displayed on the screen 7. For this purpose, thetransmitting/receiving apparatus 22 at the screen is connected to aprogramme-transmitter, which is not represented. Alternatively, thescreen apparatus 3 may be connected direct to an aerial cable fortelevision reception. Examples of additional functions which arevisually indicated via the screen 7 and can be controlled via theremote-control device 30 or the extra control panel 9, are videotext,telephone or the internet. To that end, the transmitting/receivingapparatus 22 is connected to the necessary communications networks.

[0034] The control panels 8, 9 may be areas on a television screen whichis constructed as a touch-screen, or may be separate touch-screens, ormay be designed as water-proof keyboards, for example film keyboards.The screen 7 is, for example, a CWT display.

[0035] The signal connection between the regulating apparatus 10 and thecomputer 25 may also take place in a cableless manner instead of via asignal line 19. For this purpose, the regulating apparatus 10 isconnected, via a signal line, to a transmitting/receiving apparatuswhich is connected to the transmitting/receiving apparatus 22 at thescreen via a cableless signal path. In this way, the shower applianceand screen arrangement may be mounted so as to be structurally separatefrom one another.

[0036] The user can also store his own shower programmes in the digitalmemory 28 via the remote-control device 30 or the shower control panel8. To that end, the computer 25 generates, on the screen 7, a suitablemenu-regulating system by means of which the user can select theconstituent parts of the shower programme that he wants. A showerprogramm of this kind may, for example, look like this: two minutes ofwarm showering with the hand-held sprinkler 4, two minutes of warmmassage-showering by means of suitably set sprinkler nozzles belongingto the handheld sprinkler 4 and additional sprinkler heads, ten secondsof cold showering.

1. Sanitary installation having a sanitary appliance, at least onesensor for at least one operating-condition parameter of the sanitaryappliance, an indicating apparatus for at least one operating-conditionparameter of the sanitary appliance and a regulating apparatus forsetting at least one operating parameter of the sanitary appliance,which regulating apparatus cooperates with at least one controlapparatus belonging to the sanitary appliance, characterised in that theindicating apparatus (3) has a screen (7) which cooperates with atelevision set (22).
 2. Sanitary installation according to claim 1,characterised in that at least one control apparatus (8) is integratedinto the indicating apparatus (3).
 3. Sanitary installation according toclaim 1 or 2, characterised in that the control apparatus (8, 9) isdesigned as a control panel.
 4. Sanitary installation according to claim3, characterised in that the control panel (8, 9) is a touch-screen. 5.Sanitary installation according to claim 3, characterised in that thescreen (7) of the indicating apparatus (3) itself is constructed as atouch-screen.
 6. Sanitary installation according to one of the precedingclaims, characterised in that the control apparatus (8, 9, 30) comprisesa remote-control device (30).
 7. Sanitary installation according to oneof the preceding claims, characterised in that the control apparatus (8,9, 30) cooperates with a memory (28) for predetermined values for theoperating-condition parameters and/or setting parameters for thetelevision set (22).
 8. Sanitary installation according to one of thepreceding claims, characterised in that the signal connection betweenthe sanitary appliance and the indicating apparatus (3) comprises acableless signal path (21).
 9. Sanitary installation according to one ofthe preceding claims, in which the sanitary appliance is a showerappliance, characterised in that it is integrated into a shower cabinet.